Activated variable height rollers for an active control roller top conveying assembly

ABSTRACT

A modular conveying assembly that includes a plurality of roller bodies, a driving member, a positive stop body, and a positive stop actuator. Each roller body includes a top surface, a driven axle mounted to the roller body for conveyance therewith, a roller fixed to the driven axle, and a driven surface fixed to the driven axle. The rollers define a support plane. The driving member selectively engages the driven surfaces to affect rotation of the driven axle. The positive stop body is coupled to the plurality of roller bodies and includes a positive stop that is movable relative to the positive stop body between a first position and a second position. The positive stop extends above the support plane in the second position. The positive stop actuator selectively engages the positive stop to move the positive stop between the first position and the second position.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to Provisional Patent Application No.62/073,495 filed on Oct. 31, 2014, the entire contents of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to modular conveyor belts and chains, andmore particularly to an active control roller top conveyor module and amodular conveying assembly including at least one of the conveyormodules.

Modular belting and chains are formed from interconnected modules thatare supported by a frame and driven to transport a product. Each modulehas a support surface which supports the product as the belting or chainis being driven along the frame. Adjacent modules are connected to eachother by hinge pins inserted through hinge members extending fromadjacent modules in the direction of the belt travel.

Modular belts can transport products in the direction of conveyortravel, but have difficulty accumulating a product to reduce backlinepressure. In addition, the belt can easily damage a high frictionproducts during accumulation. One known solution to this problem is torotatably mount rollers directly on the hinge pin connecting modulestogether, such that the hinge pin supports the rollers between hingemembers. The roller rotates about an axis of rotation that issubstantially coaxial with the hinge pin axis. Because it is necessaryto have a portion of the roller extend above the module to engage theobject being conveyed to reduce backline pressure, the required rollerdiameter is determined by the hinge pin location and the height of themodule. Unfortunately, this often results in requiring a large diameterroller that extends both above and below the module when thatconfiguration is not always desired. Moreover, supporting the roller onthe pin alone can result in undesirable pin wear.

Another known solution for reducing backline pressure is disclosed inU.S. Pat. No. 4,231,469 issued to Arscott. In Arscott, rollers aresupported by roller cradles between modules. The rollers extend abovethe cradle for rolling contact with an object being conveyed independentof the location of the hinge pins. The rollers reduce friction betweenthe belt and the object. Unfortunately, assembling the roller in thecradle is difficult, requiring insertion of the roller into the cradle,and then slipping an axle or two stub axles through holes formed throughthe cradle walls and into the roller. The axle must then be secured toprevent it from slipping out of one of the holes formed in the cradlewall.

Rexnord Industries, LLC of Milwaukee, Wis. developed roller topconveying modules that include roller axle supports that supportfreewheeling rollers above a module top surface. See U.S. Pat. Nos.8,151,978, 5,096,050, 4,880,107, and 4,821,169. These modules are easilyassembled and do not require oversize rollers extending through theconveyor modules. These prior art modules allow accumulation of productbeing conveyed by a conveying system formed from modules by providing alow backline pressure when the products are stopped on the movingmodules. Absent individual external stops for each product beingconveyed, the conveyed products engage other products when accumulatingon the conveyor system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a modular conveying assembly with activeroller control for reducing backline pressure without product to productcontact when accumulating products. The conveying assembly includes afirst roller belt module having a top surface and at least one firstroller axle support extending above the top surface. The first axlesupport supports at least one roller above the top surface. The at leastone roller is rotatably coupled to a rotatably driven drive axle, suchthat rotation of the drive axle causes rotation of the roller. A clutchincluding a driven surface fixed to the drive axle engages a drivingmember to rotatably drive the drive axle and, thus the roller.

A general objective of the present invention is to provide a belt moduleand a modular conveying assembly formed therefrom that can accumulateobjects without product to product contact. This objective isaccomplished by providing a conveyor belt module having an activelydriven roller rotatably supported above the conveyor module body topsurface.

This and still other objectives and advantages of the present inventionwill be apparent from the description which follows. In the detaileddescription below, preferred embodiments of the invention will bedescribed in reference to the accompanying drawing. These embodiments donot represent the full scope of the invention. Rather, the invention maybe employed in other embodiments. Reference should therefore be made tothe claims herein for interpreting the breadth of the invention.

In one embodiment, the invention provides a modular conveying assemblythat includes a plurality of roller bodies, a driving member, a positivestop body, and a positive stop actuator. Each roller body includes a topsurface, a driven axle mounted to the roller body for conveyancetherewith, a roller fixed to the driven axle, and a driven surface fixedto the driven axle. The rollers define a support plane. The drivingmember selectively engages the driven surfaces to affect rotation of thedriven axle. The positive stop body is coupled to the plurality ofroller bodies and includes a positive stop that is movable relative tothe positive stop body between a first position and a second position.The positive stop extends above the support plane in the secondposition. The positive stop actuator selectively engages the positivestop to move the positive stop between the first position and the secondposition.

In another embodiment, the invention provides a method of conveying anobject on a modular conveying assembly. The method includes moving aplurality of roller bodies and a positive stop body at a conveyancespeed, supporting the object on rollers attached to the roller bodies,conveying the object in a conveying direction at the conveyance speed,engaging a positive stop with a positive stop actuator to move thepositive stop into a position that extends above the rollers, andengaging a driving member with a driven surface of at least one rollerbody to affect rotation of a driven axle and bias the object toward thepositive stop.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the assembly shown FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the assembly shown FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a front view of another modular conveyor assembly according tothe invention and having rollers driven from both sides of the assembly.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another modular conveyor assemblyaccording to the invention in which the driven axle rotatably drives aroller axle defining an angle with the driven axle.

FIG. 7a is a front view of an alternative axle arrangement including adriven axle that rotatably drives a roller axle arranged at an anglewith respect to the driven axle.

FIG. 7b is a front view of an alternative axle arrangement including adriven axle that rotatably drives a roller axle arranged at an anglewith respect to the driven axle.

FIG. 8 is a side view of another modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the invention and having toothed clutch assembly.

FIG. 9 is a side view of another modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the invention and having a driving member including a motordriven belt.

FIG. 10 is a side view of the modular conveyor belt assembly of FIG. 9showing the motor driven belt rotating in a direction opposite of thatshown in FIG. 9.

FIGS. 11a-c are side views of various clutch assemblies according to theinvention.

FIG. 12 is a top view of a two-zone modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the invention.

FIG. 13 is a top view of a three-zone modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the invention.

FIG. 14 is a top view of a four-zone modular conveyor belt assemblyaccording to the invention.

FIG. 15 is a top view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes two different motion zones.

FIG. 16 is a front view of the modular conveyor belt assembly of FIG.15.

FIGS. 17a and 17b are section views of roller axles according to theinvention.

FIG. 18 is a top view of a toothed connection between rollers.

FIG. 19 is a top view of a magnetic connection between rollers.

FIG. 20 is a front view of a radially actuated clutch on a modularconveyor belt assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 21 is a front view of an axially actuated clutch on a modularconveyor belt assembly according to the invention.

FIG. 22 is a front view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes an inset clutch assembly.

FIG. 23 is a top view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes master and slave rollers.

FIG. 24 is a front view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes two different motion zones and coaxialroller axles.

FIG. 25 is a front view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes rollers that are mounted within the link anda cantilevered clutch assembly.

FIG. 26 is a front view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes rollers that are mounted within the link andan inset clutch assembly.

FIG. 27 is a front view of a modular conveyor belt assembly according tothe invention that includes shaped rollers.

FIG. 28 is a pictorial view of a variable height roller module arrangedin the modular conveyor belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 29 is a side view of the variable height roller module of FIG. 28.

FIG. 30 is a pictorial view of another variable height roller modulearranged in the modular conveyor belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 31 is a side view of the variable height roller module of FIG. 30.

FIG. 32 is a pictorial view of another variable height roller modulearranged in the modular conveyor belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 33 is a pictorial view of another variable height roller modulearranged in the modular conveyor belt of FIG. 1.

FIG. 34 is a side view of the variable height roller module of FIG. 33.

FIG. 35 is a diagram representing a sorting operation utilizing thevariable height rollers of FIG. 32.

FIG. 36 is a diagram representing a sorting operation utilizing thevariable height rollers of FIG. 28.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A modular conveying assembly, or belt 10, shown in FIG. 1, includes aplurality of belt modules 12 assembled in an edge to edge relation toform the continuous belt 10. Hinge pins 40 (see FIG. 2) join adjacentmodules 12, and pivotally connect the adjacent modules 12 in thedirection of belt travel. Roller axle supports 26 extending upwardlyfrom a module body 14 of each belt module 12 support a roller axle 42(see FIG. 2) having a plurality of rollers 44 fixed thereto. The rollers44 rotatably engage an object 34 being conveyed by the belt 10 to reducefriction between the belt 10 and the object and, as described below,selectively convey the object relative to the module body 14. Themodules 12 are preferably formed using methods known in the art, such asinjection molding, from materials known in the art, such as acetal,polyethylene, polypropylene, nylon, and the like.

Each module 12 includes a body 14 having a top surface 24 (see FIG. 3)surrounded by a leading edge 16 and trailing edge 18 joined by a firstside edge 20 and a second side edge 22. Although, the terms “leading”and “trailing” are used to identify features of the module 12, themodule 12 described herein can be used in any direction, or orientationwithout departing from the scope of the invention. Advantageously, thetop surface 24 can prevent products from falling through the belt 10. Ofcourse, the top surface 24 can also have perforations to allow air orfluid flow for cooling, drafting, and/or draining. The module body 14has a width which is defined by the distance between the side edges 20,22, and a length which is defined by the distance between the leadingand trailing edges 16, 18.

With reference to FIG. 2, each leading edge hinge member 30 extendsforwardly from the leading edge 16 of the module body 14, and includes acoaxial opening 38 for receiving the hinge pin 40. Each leading edgehinge member opening 38 receives the hinge pin 40 pivotally connectingthe leading edge hinge members 30 of one module 12 to trailing edgehinge members 32 of an upstream module 12. The leading edge hingemembers 30 intermesh with trailing edge hinge members 32 extendingrearwardly from the trailing edge 18 also include coaxial openings 52.The trailing edge hinge members 32 include coaxial openings 52 thatreceive the hinge pin 40 to pivotally connect the trailing edge hingemembers 32 of the module 12 to leading edge hinge members 30 of adownstream module 12.

The roller axle supports 26 are spaced across the module top surface 24in a row 56 transverse to the direction of conveyor travel. Each axlesupport 26 includes a coaxial opening 46 for receiving the roller axle42. Advantageously, the plurality of axle supports 26 do not allow theroller axle 42 to pop upwardly away from the modules 12 if the roller 44or roller axle 42 catches an object. Although a plurality of axlesupports 26 in a single row on each module 12 is shown, a single axlesupport extending upwardly from the module top surface forming a row ora plurality of axle support rows on a single module can be providedwithout departing from the scope of the invention.

The roller axle 42 can be formed from any material, such as a polymericmaterial, metal, and the like. Polymeric roller axles 42 are preferredbecause they are lighter and produce less noise. Each roller axle 42supports a plurality of the rollers 44. Preferably, a single roller 44is disposed between a pair of axle supports 26, however, a plurality ofrollers 44 can be provided between a pair of axle supports 26 withoutdeparting from the scope of the

The rollers 44 support the object 34 being conveyed by the belt 10 abovethe module body 14 and are rotatably fixed to the roller axle 42. Atleast a portion of each roller 44 extends above the roller axle supports26 to engage the object being conveyed by the belt 10. Preferably, eachroller 44 is molded from a plastic, and includes a through hole 46formed there through for receiving the roller axle 42. The rollers 44can be rotatably fixed to the roller axle 42 using methods known in theart, such as by chemically bonding the roller 44 to the axle 42, fusingthe roller 44 to the roller axle 42, integrally forming the roller axle42 and roller 44 as a single piece, forming a through hole axiallythrough the roller 44 with a noncircular cross section and inserting theroller axle 42 having a complementary cross section through the roller44 through hole, and the like without departing from the scope of theinvention. Although a plastic roller is disclosed, the roller can beformed from any material, such as elastomers, metals, and the like,suitable for the particular application without departing from the scopeof the invention.

The roller axle 42, and thus the rollers 44 are selectively rotatablydriven to accumulate objects on the conveyor system without excessiveproduct to product contact and/or to selectively space objects conveyedby the conveying system. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4, theroller axle 42 is actively driven by a clutch 54 having a driven surface58 fixed to one end of the roller axle 42 and a fixed driving member 62,or bar, adjacent the belt 10. The driving member 62 engages the drivensurface 58 to rotatably drive the roller axle 42, and thus the roller44. In a preferred embodiment, movement of the conveyor module 12relative to the fixed driving member 62 engaging the driven surface 58of the clutch 54 causes the driven surface 58, and thus, the roller axle42 and rollers 44 to rotate.

In one embodiment, the driven surface 58 is conical to control therotational speed of the roller 44 without changing the conveying speedof the belt 10. In particular, the rotational speed of the roller 44varies by engaging the conical driven surface 58 at different radii ofthe conical driven surface 58 with the driving member 62. As a result,when the belt 10 travels at a constant conveying speed, the rollers 44will rotate faster when the fixed driving member 62 engages a smallradial cross section of the conical driven surface 58, i.e. proximal anapex 64 of the conical driven surface 58 (see FIG. 4), compared to therotational speed of the rollers 44 when the fixed driving member 62engages a larger radial cross section of the conical driven surface 58.

In the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1-4, the driven surface 58 isformed having two conical driven surfaces 72 forming part of two conesjoined at their apex by a cylindrical driven surface 74. The drivensurface 58, however, can be any shape compatible with the driving memberwithout departing from the scope of the invention. For example, thedriven surface 58′ can be a single conical surface, such as shown inFIG. 5, cylindrical, frustoconical, two frustoconical surfaces 58″joined at their base, such as shown in FIG. 6, have teeth engageablewith a toothed rack driving member, stepped, and the like. Moreover,although the driven surface 58 is shown on one end of the roller axle42, the driven surface 58 can be on both ends of the roller axle 42,such as shown in FIG. 5, between the roller axle ends, or fixed to adriven axle coupled to the roller axle 42 without departing from thescope of the invention. Although a driven surface 58 separate from therollers 44 is shown, the driven surface can be an outer surface of oneor more of the rollers 44 without departing from the scope of theinvention.

In a preferred embodiment, the driving member 62 is at least one barpositioned adjacent modules 12 of the belt 10 and arranged in adirection extending in the conveying direction. The driving member 62 isfixed relative to the conveying direction of the modules 12 andselectively engagable with the different locations on the driven surface58 to rotatably drive the roller axle. In a preferred embodiment, thedriving member 62 is selectively lowered into engagement with the drivensurface 58. In another embodiment, multiple driving members 62 aredisposed above the driven surface 58 and one of the driving members 62is selectively engaged with the driven surface 58 depending upon thedesired rotational speed of the roller axle 42. Although a drivingmember 62 fixed relative to the conveying direction of the modules 12 isshown, the driving member can be movable relative to the conveyingdirection of the modules, such as an endless driven belt engaging thedriven surface, without departing the scope of the invention.

In the embodiment described above, the roller axle 42 is the drivenaxle. However, as shown in FIG. 7a , the embodiments described hereincan include a separate driven axle 64 coupled to the roller axle 42′ toprovide other advantages. For example, the driven axle 64 can be coupledto the roller axle 42′, such as by a frictional engagement or gearmechanism 66 that rotatably drives the roller axle 42′ counter to therotational direction of the driven axle 64 in order to urge objects onthe rollers in the direction of conveyor travel and space the objects onthe conveyor. If a gear mechanism is used, the mechanism can include anintermediate gear that rotates the roller axle in the same direction asthe driven axle. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7b , the driven axle 64can be coupled to a roller axle 42″ by a flexible coupling 68, such as atube engaging ends of the driven axle 64 and roller axle 42″. Theflexible coupling 68 allows a longitudinal axis 72 of the roller axle42″ to define an angle A with a longitudinal axis 74 of the driven axle64, such that rollers fixed to and coaxial with the roller axle urgeobjects onto or off of the belt 10.

When the modules 12 are configured in a belt arrangement, i.e. two ormore modules 12 define the belt width and are arranged in a side edge toside edge and leading edge to trailing edge configuration. In a beltthat is multiple modules wide, the roller axles can be drivenindependently or extend across modules, either as a single axle ormultiple axles coupled together. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, theroller axle can be driven from one or both sides of the belt with adriven surface fixed on each driven axle. Advantageously, whenindependent axles are driven by opposite sides of the belt, conveyedproduct can be accumulated side by side or a conveyed product can beoriented on the belt by driving the driven axle coupled to a drivensurface on one side of the belt in a direction opposite of the drivenaxle coupled to a driven surface of the other side of the belt to spinthe conveyed product on the belt.

The belt 10 is assembled by intermeshing the trailing edge hinge members32 of one of the modules 12 with the leading edge hinge members 30 ofthe adjacent module 12, such that the trailing hinge member openings 52of the one module 12 are aligned with and the leading edge hinge memberopenings 38 of the other module 12. A hinge pin 40 is then slippedthrough the aligned hinge member openings 38, 52 to pivotally link theadjacent modules 12 together.

Several alternate constructions of the inventive concept will bediscussed below with respect to FIGS. 9-26.

FIG. 9 shows an alternate embodiment wherein the clutch 54 includestoothed driven surfaces 58 and a corresponding toothed driving member62. The teeth can be corresponding star shapes, or the teeth may be acmegears or another gear shape, as desired. For example, the drivensurfaces 58 and driving members 62 may be arranged similar to a rack andpinion. Similar to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 the drivingmember 62 may be a stationary element that is raised and lowered intoengagement with the driven surfaces 58 to effect rotation of the rollers44.

FIGS. 9 and 10 show an alternate embodiment wherein the driving member62 is a continuous belt driven by a motor 80. The motor 80 may be aconstant speed motor or a variable speed motor, as desired. The motor 80is arranged to selectively drive the driving member 62 to affect thebehavior of the rollers 44. For example, in FIG. 9 the motor 80 isrotating the driving member 62 such that the rollers 44 are rotated toaccumulate the object 34, In FIG. 10 the motor 80 is driven in anopposite direction such that objects are accelerated along the rollers44. The rotation of the rollers 44 may be affected to produce therelative motion of the object 34 as desired. For example, the level ofdeceleration and/or acceleration can be varied. In addition, a number ofzones may be arranged along the direction of travel, each zone includinga separate belt 62 and motor 80, such that sequential object 34manipulation is provided.

FIGS. 11a-c show various constructions of the driven surface 58 and thedriving member 62. FIG. 11a depicts a cross-sectional view of a drivensurface 58 that defines a diamond shaped cross section. Two drivingmembers 62 are arranged to engage the driven surface 58 at varyingpositions along the driven surface 58 such that the rollers 44 would bedriven at differing speeds as discussed above. Preferably, the twodriving members 62 would be positioned in mirrored positions to provideconsistent driving action to the rollers 44.

FIG. 11b depicts a cross-sectional view of a driven surface 58 thatdefines an hourglass shaped cross section. Two driving members 62 arearranged to engage the driven surface 58 at varying positions along thedriven surface 58 such that the rollers 44 would be driven at differingspeeds as discussed above. Preferably, the two driving members 62 wouldbe positioned in mirrored positions to provide consistent driving actionto the rollers 44.

FIG. 11c depicts a cross-sectional view of a driven surface 58 thatdefines conical shape. One driving member 62 is arranged to engage thedriven surface 58 at varying positions along the driven surface 58 suchthat the rollers 44 would be driven at differing speeds as discussedabove.

FIG. 12 shows a modular conveying assembly 110 that includes a firstmotion zone 114 and a second motion zone 118. The first motion zone 114includes an independent clutch 154′ connected to rollers 144′ by aroller axle 142′. The second motion zone 118 includes an independentclutch 154″ connected to rollers 144″ by a roller axle 142″. The motionzones 114, 118 are operated independent of one another to creatediffering motion profiles.

FIG. 13 shows a modular conveying assembly 210 that includes a firstmotion zone 214, a second motion zone 218, and a third motion zone 222.The first motion zone 214 includes an independent clutch 254′ connectedto rollers 244′ by a roller axle 242′. The second motion zone 218includes an independent clutch 254″ connected to rollers 244″ by aroller axle 242″. The third motion zone 222 includes an independentclutch 254′″ connected to rollers 244′″ by a roller axle 242″. In theillustrated embodiment, the clutch 254″ and the clutch 254′″ arecantilevered past the right (as viewed in FIG. 13) end of the conveyingassembly 210 and are staggered from one another in the width direction.The motion zones 214, 218, 222 are operated independent of one anotherto create differing motion profiles.

FIG. 14 shows a modular conveying assembly 310 that includes a firstmotion zone 314, a second motion zone 318, a third motion zone 322, anda fourth motion zone 326. The first motion zone 314 includes anindependent clutch 354′ connected to rollers 344′ by a roller axle 342′.The second motion zone 318 includes an independent clutch 354″ connectedto rollers 344″ by a roller axle 342″. The third motion zone 322includes an independent clutch 354′″ connected to rollers 344′″ by aroller axle 342′″. The fourth motion zone 326 includes an independentclutch 354″″ connected to rollers 344″″ by a roller axle 342″″. In theillustrated embodiment, the clutches 354′, 354″, 354″″, and 354″″ areall cantilevered past the end of the conveying assembly 310 on a singleside and are staggered from one another in the width direction. Themotion zones 314, 318, 322, 326 are operated independent of one anotherto create differing motion profiles.

FIGS. 15 and 16 show a modular conveying assembly 410 that includes afirst series of modules 412′ and a second series of modules 412″. Thefirst series of modules 412′ includes an independent clutch 454′including a driven surface 458′ connected to rollers 444′ by a rolleraxle 442′. The second series of modules 412″ includes an independentclutch 454″ including a driven surface 458″ connected to rollers 444″ bya roller axle 442″. In the modular conveyor assembly 410, the drivensurface 258′ and the driven surface 258″ are arranged in oppositeorientations. In this configuration, when the driving member 462 isengaged with the driven surfaces 258′ and 258″ the speed of rotation ofthe rollers 244′ and 244″ will depend on the side-to-side position ofthe driving element 462. For example, if the driving element 462 ismoved to the right in the depiction of FIG. 15, the rollers 444′ of thefirst series of modules 412′ will increase its rotational speed and therollers 444″ of the second series of modules 412″ will decrease inrotational speed. In this way, various adjustable motion profiles areattainable.

FIGS. 17a and 17b show cross sections of two exemplary roller axles 42.As shown, the roller axle 42 may define a spline shape, or a keyway.Additionally, the roller axle my define other shapes (e.g., square oval,pegged, star, et cetera).

FIG. 18 shows how rollers 44 may be end connected to one another byteeth 474. FIG. 19 shows how rollers 44 may be end connected to oneanother by magnets 476. These connections between rollers 44 provide away to transfer rotation without rigidly joining the rollers to theroller axle 42. Other configurations are contemplated for coupling therollers together independent of the roller axle 42. For example,couplings, taper locks, and other connection types are usable.

FIGS. 20 and 21 illustrate how the driving member 62 may be actuatedvertically or horizontally in and out of engagement with the drivensurface 58. Any actuation scheme may be used to bring the driving member62 into contact with the driven surface 58, as desired.

FIG. 22 shows how the driven surface 58 may be inset on the module 12 asopposed to cantilevered.

FIG. 23 shows an arrangement where every other module 12 in the belt 10does not include a driven surface 58 but it rather tied to an adjacentdriven surface 58 by a belt 480 or other linkage capable of transferringthe rotation from the driven surface 58 to the passive modules 12.

FIG. 24 shows a modular conveying assembly 510 that includes a firstmotion zone 514 and a second motion zone 518. The first motion zone 514includes an independent clutch 554′ connected to rollers 544′ by a firstroller axle 542′. The second motion zone 518 includes an independentclutch 554″ connected to rollers 544″ by a second roller axle 542″. Thefirst roller axle 542′ and the second roller axle 542″ are arrangedcoaxially, with the first roller axle 542′ arranged within the secondroller axle 542″. The motion zones 514, 518 are operated independent ofone another to create differing motion profiles.

FIGS. 25 and 26 illustrate how the rollers 44 may be set within the webof the module 12 without being raised above the surface 24 by thesupports 26. FIG. 25 shows the clutch 54 cantilevered and FIG. 26 showsthe clutch 54 set within the web of the module 12.

FIG. 27 shows an example of how the rollers 44 may have different shapesto provide different motion profiles of the object 34. In theillustrated embodiment, rollers 44 have a consistent diameter and aregenerally cylindrically shaped. Rollers 44′ and 44″ are generallyconically shaped such that they would tend to move the object 34 to theright (as viewed in FIG. 27). Other roller shapes are consideredincluding different arrangements of shapes. These shaped rollers may beused to direct object 34 flow on the modular conveyor assembly 10. Forexample, a flow of objects 34 could be divided, shifted, concentrated,or manipulated in another way as desired.

FIGS. 28-36 are directed to conveyor modules that carry variable heightrollers used for creating a positive stop on the surface of a conveyorbelt 10 that moves along with the conveyor and has the ability to changeheight relative to the chain surface 24 to engage objects 34 thenrelease them.

The variable height rollers include protrusions that are mounted on thesurface 24 of belt 10 in such a way as to enable the “height” withreference to the surface 24 of the belt 10 and/or other protrusions(e.g., a roller 44) on the belt 10 to be altered up or down. A portionof the protrusion will be engaged either underneath or on the side ofthe belt 10 to alter the position of the protrusion on top of the belt10.

A main body of the protrusion will be mounted above the surface 24 ofthe conveyor belt 10 as to be in line or flush with a series of rollers44 mounted to the surface of the belt 44 as discussed above.

Turning to the exemplary embodiments of the variable height rollers,FIGS. 28 and 29 show a module 1000 that defines a top surface 1024 and aplurality of apertures (not shown) formed through the top surface 1024.A variable height roller in the form of a continuous roller 1044 isconnected to four protrusions 1046 that are sized to slip fittinglyengage the apertures through the top surface 1024. As shown clearly inFIG. 29, each of the protrusions 1046 includes an end stop 1048 that islarger than the apertures and inhibits the protrusion 1046 from escapingthe aperture. The end stop 1048 defines a sloped profile 1050 that willbe discussed below relative to the operation of the module 1000. Thecontinuous roller 1044 is actuatable between a raised position shown inFIG. 28 and a lowered position shown in FIG. 29. The continuous roller1044 could be activated via a clutch such as the clutches 54, 154, 554discussed above or may be a simple idle roller that is free to rotateabout a static axis.

FIGS. 30 and 31 illustrate an embodiment that includes protrusions 1046but eliminates the continuous roller 1044. The protrusions 1046 mayinclude apertures sized to receive and axle, a bar, or may defineanother shape than shown to provide the desired effect on the objects 34being moved along the conveyor.

FIG. 32 shows an embodiment where the continuous roller 1044 is replacedwith a blade 1052 coupled to the protrusions 1046. FIGS. 33 and 34 showand embodiment where a pair of blades 1054 are utilized.

Operation of the variable height rollers will be discussed below withreference to FIGS. 35 and 36. Current methods for creating specificproduct spacing require line designs that are complicated. Adding to thecomplexity is the increased cost for additional controls, drivecomponents and increased floor space. The invention utilizes thevariable height rollers discussed above and the active control rollertops discussed above to control object positioning in the conveyorsystem by accelerating or decelerating the object until it contacts thevariable height roller. This enables objects of any size and geometry tobe specifically positioned in relation to other objects on the conveyorsystem.

As shown in FIG. 35, the conveyor system may include an actuator in theform of a bar 1060 arranged to engage the end stops 1048 of theprotrusions 1046. The bar 1060 includes ramps 1062 that cooperate withthe profiles 1050 to smoothly raise and lower the variable heightrollers 1052. As shown in the lower image, the bar 1060 may be adjustedto any length, as desired.

FIG. 36 shows a system similar to FIG. 36 but utilizing the continuousrollers 1044 and a clutch 1054 to actively control the rotation of thecontinuous roller 1044 in a manner similar to that discussed above withrespect to clutch 54 and modules 12.

Activating the rollers 44 to rotate at a greater velocity then theconveyor belt 10 allows the object 34 to be accelerated to a variableheight roller 1044. Activating the rollers 44 to rotate at a slowervelocity then the conveyor belt 10 allows the product to decelerate to avariable height roller 1044. The object 34 may then be held in positionby the variable height roller 1044 to create specific spacing betweenobjects 34 on the conveyor belt 10. Deactivating a variable heightroller 1044 will release the object 34. This process will not disruptthe flow of objects 34 in front of or behind the subject object 34 andbe able to handle multiple object geometries and weights.

The positive stop in the form of the variable height roller and methodfor moving the object to the positive stop are contained in a singlebelt 10 or chain. The activated variable height roller 1044 can alterthe object position without additional equipment and with minimalcontact pressure.

The activation of the rollers 44 or 1044 occurs on the outer edges ofthe system, thus creating a simpler system design. The system is alsocapable of various different product handling scenarios with a singlelength of chain or belt 10 eliminating extra costly components (drives,gearboxes, vfd, etc).

The belt design is more flexible, allowing for activation on the top orbottom of the clutch 54 or 1054. This allows for forward or backwardmovement of the object in the system.

While there has been shown and described what are at present consideredthe preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be obvious to thoseskilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be madetherein without departing from the scope of the invention defined by theappended claims. For example, the individual features described in thedrawings may include one or more features from another embodiment. Forexample, the coaxial axles 542′ and 542″ of FIG. 24 may be arranged inthe web of the module 12 as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

We claim:
 1. A modular conveying assembly comprising: a plurality ofroller bodies, each roller body having a top surface, a driven axlemounted to the roller body for conveyance therewith, a roller fixed tothe driven axle, and a driven surface fixed to the driven axle, therollers defining a support plane; a driving member selectively engagingthe driven surfaces to affect rotation of the driven axle; a positivestop body coupled to the plurality of roller bodies and including apositive stop movable relative to the positive stop body between a firstposition and a second position, the positive stop extends above thesupport plane in the second position; and a positive stop actuatorselectively engaging the positive stop to move the positive stop betweenthe first position and the second position.
 2. The modular conveyorassembly of claim 1, wherein the positive stop includes a projectionextending through an aperture formed in the positive stop body.
 3. Themodular conveyor assembly of claim 2, wherein the projection includes anend stop inhibited from entering the aperture.
 4. The modular conveyorassembly of claim 3, wherein the end stop defines a slope surface. 5.The modular conveyor assembly of claim 1, wherein the positive stopactuator includes a bar positioned below the positive stop body.
 6. Themodular conveyor assembly of claim 5, wherein the bar includes ramps. 7.The modular conveyor assembly of claim 1, wherein the positive stop isbiased toward the first position by gravity.
 8. The modular conveyorassembly of claim 1, wherein the positive stop includes a continuousroller.
 9. The modular conveyor assembly of claim 1, wherein thepositive stop includes a blade.
 10. The modular conveyor assembly ofclaim 1, wherein the positive stop body includes two positive stops. 11.A method of conveying an object on a modular conveying assemblyincluding a plurality of roller bodies, each roller body having a topsurface, a driven axle mounted to the body for conveyance therewith, aroller fixed to the driven axle, and a driven surface fixed to thedriven axle, the rollers defining a support plane, a driving memberselectively engaging the driven surfaces to affect rotation of thedriven axle, a positive stop body coupled to the plurality of rollerbodies and including a positive stop movable relative to the positivestop body between a first position and a second position, the positivestop extends above the support plane in the second position, and apositive stop actuator selectively engaging the positive stop to movethe positive stop between the first position and the second position,the method comprising: moving the plurality of roller bodies and thepositive stop body at a conveyance speed; supporting the object on therollers; conveying the object in a conveying direction at the conveyancespeed; engaging the positive stop with the positive stop actuator tomove the positive stop into the second position; and engaging thedriving member with the driven surface of at least one roller body toaffect rotation of the driven axle and bias the object toward thepositive stop arranged in the second position.
 11. The method of claim11, wherein engaging the positive stop with the positive stop actuatorincludes engaging a projection of the positive stop with a bar of thepositive stop actuator arranged below the positive stop body.
 12. Themethod of claim 11, and further comprising biasing the positive stoptoward the first position with gravity.
 13. The method of claim 11,wherein engaging the positive stop with the positive stop actuatorincludes engaging an end stop of the positive stop with a bar of thepositive stop actuator.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein engaging thedriving member with the driven surface of at least one roller bodyincludes affecting the rotation of the driven axle such that the rollerdecelerates the movement of the object relative to the conveyance speedsuch that positive stop comes into contact with the object.
 15. Themethod of claim 11, wherein engaging the driving member with the drivensurface of at least one roller body includes affecting the rotation ofthe driven axle such that the roller accelerates the movement of theobject relative to the conveyance speed such that the object comes intocontact with the positive stop.
 16. The method of claim 11, and furthercomprising arranging the driving member and the positive stop actuatorin a manipulation zone defining a predetermined length along the modularconveying assembly.
 17. The method of claim 16, wherein the positivestop actuator includes a bar that extends substantially the entirepredetermined length.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein engaging thedriving member with the driven surface includes engaging the drivingmember with the driven surfaces of roller bodies within the manipulationzone.
 19. The method of claim 16, and further comprising acceleratingthe object into engagement with the positive stop within themanipulation zone.
 20. The method of claim 16, and further comprisingdecelerating the object into engagement with the positive stop withinthe manipulation zone.